RALEIGH – It took almost a full month past the Nov. 8 elections, but after numerous failed Republican legal challenges, and a Durham County ballot recount that essentially confirmed the final unofficial numbers, Republican Gov. Pat McCrory this week finally conceded his defeat to Democratic challenger Roy Cooper in the hotly contested gubernatorial race that captivated the nation.

“Despite continued questions that should be answered regarding the voting process….,,” the governor, wearing a dark suit jacket and open shirt, said in a YouTube video concession speech Monday morning to his supporters, “…I personally believe that the majority of our citizens have spoken, and we now should do everything we can to support the 75th Governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper.”

In an email response, Cooper, the state attorney general, thanked Gov. McCrory and his wife for their service to the state, and promised that under his leadership, he will strive to make North Carolina a state that “works for everyone.”

Cooper beat McCrory by more than 10,000 votes, thus staving off a statewide recount, or any interference from the GOP-led legislature.
Top Democrats were delighted.

“We look forward to working with Governor-Elect Cooper to support working North Carolinians, invest in our public schools, and work to build a better North Carolina,” said N.C. Democratic Party Chairwoman Patsy Keever in a statement.

State Senate Minority Leader Sen. Dan Blue [D-Wake] was also pleased, but concerned about how McCrory and the Republican Party apparently tried to slash and burn the election results for political advantage.

“I’ve really been disappointed in the efforts that the state Republican Party, as well as McCrory’s campaign in the roles they’ve played in basically trying to basically delegitimize primarily Black votes. That’s the whole reason the [recount effort] was focused on Durham County, and if you look at some of the other places where they challenged votes – Bladen and other counties, it’s always aiming at some hidden implications that people are trying to commit fraud in the voting process.”

Sen. Blue continued, “ Well, when you think that, and you go single out primarily Black areas and Black voters, the logical extension is that you’re trying to imply that Black folk are committing voter fraud. And it’s simply not so.”

Even with that controversy, Democrats are happy with the win.

“After four years of Republican control in the governor’s office and six years of a Republican-controlled state legislature that has only turned back the clock, there’s no doubt that North Carolina is Ready for Roy,” said Democratic National Committee Interim Chairwoman Donna Brazile.
However that delight stopped at the GOP edge, perhaps portending a rocky relationship between the new Democratic governor and the Republican-led General Assembly.

“We hope Gov.-elect Cooper is willing to work with us to continue improving public education and cutting taxes on families and job creators – policies championed by Gov. McCrory that have generated budget surpluses, robust economic growth and hundreds of thousands of new jobs,” said Senate President Pro-tem Sen. Phil Berger (R-Rockingham). “Given that Gov.-elect Cooper won his new office with a razor-thin plurality, it is clear there is no groundswell of public support for his campaign pledge of a massive income tax increase on our state’s citizens and businesses.”

But what will having Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper mean, particularly to poor communities of color that, under Gov. McCrory, saw their voting rights corrupted, Medicaid not expanded, and unemployment benefits reduced?

In an exclusive interview conducted just before Election Day, Roy Cooper made clear that he would be a governor devoted not only to helping the middle –class, but also the working poor.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do to get [Gov. McCrory and Republican lawmakers’] emphasis off helping those at the top and fostering some type of trickle-down economics, and [instead] investing in public education, and in healthcare,” Cooper said.

When asked how African Americans and Latinos would benefit from his administration, Cooper said, “It’s important for us to have a state government that looks like the people that it represents.“

“I will recruit people of color in important leadership positions in this state. I will lead efforts for us to work hard to engage in meaningful dialogue that results in action to help us fight discrimination at all levels. People in many communities feel targeted and discriminated against, and they want to be heard and respected,” then candidate Cooper said.

“We have a lot of work to do to increase that effort to have mutual respect between state government and people, between law enforcement and people, between our education system and people. I want us to be moving forward in the fight to improve race relations, instead of backwards, and it’s pretty clear that over the last four years….” Cooper noted, “… North Carolina has been moving backwards.”

During a Democratic Party debate before the March 15 primaries, Roy Cooper vowed even then to recruit a diverse cabinet and administration once elected governor.

“That’s what we should be about, being inclusive, “ then-candidate Cooper said then, indicating that he already has a diverse office as state attorney general. “The first thing we have to admit is that racism does exist.”

He blasted the Republicans for legislation that gave “…big tax giveaways to out-of-state corporations at the expense of the middle-class and our public schools,” further accusing the GOP of supporting a “…tax structure that makes it harder on everyday hard-working people.”

Cooper promised to bring an end tax breaks for the rich, promising instead to make sound investments in public schools, pay teachers more, and promoting economic development in communities of color and rural areas.

Regarding the high unemployment rate among African Americans, Cooper said beyond investing to improve public education, he would push for a living wage to help lift people out of poverty, and better employment opportunities.

When it came to voting rights, the future governor said he “strongly” supported efforts in Congress to fully reinstate the 1965 Voting Rights Act, later saying in October that he totally agreed with the findings of the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals when it struck down North Carolina’s 2013 voter suppression law.

Gov. Cooper’s transition team did not wait for McCrory’s concession speech, having been up and running for weeks, putting the pieces of his administration in place in time for taking office on January 1, 2017.

On Thursday, December 15 at 12 noon, the family, friends and colleagues of Greensboro attorney Marquis Delano Street will gather in the Dudley Room of the old Hayes-Taylor YMCA on East Market Street – where he was an active supporter for more than 30 years – to celebrate what many say was his selfless life of giving, community service, visionary leadership and loving.

“Because of my husband, probably for the first time in my life, I felt loved…and lovable,” Sallie Melendez, his wife, tearfully remembered. “He told me as long as we were together, I would never open a door…he would always insist on opening the door for me,” she continued, noting that her devoted husband was always the ultimate gentleman.

Had he lived, Marquis and Sallie would have celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary in March 2017. The couple met in California at the birthday party of a mutual friend in 2005. They soon became the center of one another’s universe.

“The real story of Marquis Street lies not with the unique relationship that he and I had,” Melendez says, “but with the person that he was with other people.”

During a long, committed and distinguished life, Street was the recipient of numerous honors and awards for his civic work, including a citation from the North Carolina Human Relations Commission signed by Gov. Jim Hunt; the Greensboro NAACP branch Supportive Service and Community Service Awards; and the Lifetime Service Award for Service to Youth from Brothers Organized to Save Others (BOTSO-Greensboro).

But the true monuments to Marquis Street’s undying commitment to community are the many young people he mentored, like nephew Haile Lindsay.
An only child, Lindsay, 37, recalls how “Uncle Mike” would take the young man under his wing, and encourage good grades with monetary incentives, with straight A’s yielding the greatest rewards. “He always pushed me, and every time I’d go and see him, he’d always provide wisdom.”

The “pay for good grades” incentives and encouragement certainly paid off. Lindsay earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering.

Today he is a project manager at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, having worked there for nine years.

“When I heard of his passing, it definitely left a void in my heart,” Dr. Lindsay said of his Uncle Mike, remembering this “man of the people.”
“Greensboro has lost a great man.”

Born June 20, 1946, Marquis Street was a native of Greensboro, where he graduated from F. D. Bluford Elementary School, Lincoln Junior High School, and James B. Dudley High School – Class of 1964.

“I’m so very proud to be a member of DHS Class of 1964 because I believe that this class represents the school very well, and Marquis Street stood out like a … beacon,” wrote actor Junious Leak, a former classmate, on Street’s Facebook page.

Street later earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in History as an honor student from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in 1968. He joined the Army R.O.T.C. while there, earning the rank of Cadet Colonel, Brigade Commander. He also earned a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve.

“He put himself through [NC] A&T, working multiple jobs, being in the R.O.T.C., trying to scrape together the one hundred and thirty-four dollars per semester it cost for him to go to school,” Sallie Melendez said. “He was very focused.”

Upon graduation, Street was awarded a full academic scholarship to the University of Iowa College of Law (Iowa City, IA.), earning a Doctorate of Jurisprudence degree in 1971, becoming licensed to practice law in his home state of North Carolina the following year.

Prior to establishing his own law firm in Greensboro in 1975, Street served as Assistant to the Chancellor for Legal Affairs, and as an Assistant Professor of Political Science at his alma mater N.C. A&T State University. He then joined the law firm of Frye, Johnson & Barbee in Greensboro as an associate from 1972-74. He later became Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor for Administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill until 1975.

When he opened his own practice, Street concentrated on representing personal injury and automobile accident victims. He would eventually expand his practice to include wrongful and accidental death, traffic tickets and DWI, criminal misdemeanors, will/settlement of estates, administrative law and general civil practices.

“Marquis was a very able, very capable trial lawyer in personal injury law,” said Rev. Steve Allen, pastor of historic Shiloh Baptist Church in Greensboro, but also a former lawyer and colleague of Street for many years. “Everybody who knew Marquis knew he was always very well prepared. That was one of his trademarks. He was a very fierce advocate.”

Attorney Street, who was a proud professional member of the North Carolina State Bar Association, Guilford County Bar Association, North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers, North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, the National Bar Association and the United States Supreme Court Bar, practiced law for over 41 years.

“Marquis was a first-class guy,” recalls colleague attorney R. Steve Bowden, of R. Steve Bowden and Associates in Greensboro. “He was knowledgeable, had a strong practice, excellent in the courtroom, carried himself professionally, and always dressed impeccably. That’s one of the things about Marquis that caught my attention as soon as I got here. You knew he was successful the way he presented himself. It was with a level of sophistication and professionalism that you just didn’t see every day.”

When it came to the community he loved, Marquis Street gave of himself and his talents generously. Even people he didn’t know, but had heard of the man, would always greet him with a warm welcome.

“He was hardworking, and a good father-figure,” recalls nephew Taufeeq Nasir. “Basically he would just help anyone who needed help.”

Inspiring young people to work hard to lead productive, meaningful lives, Street devoted much of his time and energy to the Hayes-Taylor YMCA since 1977, where he chaired the Board of Management from 1983 to 1995, established the Street-Nasir Scholarship Trust, was a Sustaining Campaign worker and an Honorary Life Member.

Hayes-Taylor Y was an important place of growth and learning for Street ever since he was seven-years old, coming up as a Black child in the segregated South of the early ‘50s. He intimately knew the value of the Y for young people, and the important nurturing that it offered. So his continued devotion to it was no surprise, as Marquis Street was the second longest board chairman to serve in the facility’s history.

“The thing I remember most was his love for the Hayes-Taylor YMCA, and his love for children of color… fighting for locations and places for them to go,” recalls Edith Chance, one of Street’s “besties” friends from NC A&T, adding that he never forgot “…from whence he came.”

“He always let you know where he stood, of what he thought of you…,” Chance continued, recalling how they both served on the Hayes-Taylor Board of Management together for several years (she served as secretary).

Street was once named YMCA Man of the Year, and received the Hayes-Taylor Citizenship and Service to Youth Award.

The gymnasium at the old Hayes-Taylor YMCA on E. Market Street was named after him.

“Marquis was the epitome of pulling up one’s self by his bootstraps,” said Ernie Pitt, close friend, and publisher of the Winston-Salem Chronicle. “Nobody gave him anything. He was a determined, dedicated individual who loved his community, and loved the people in it. I’m so happy, and so proud to have been one of his good friends. I loved him.”

Rick Mills, a retired corporate executive, remembers “Mike” Street from their days together as housemates while attending N.C. A&T University as undergraduates.

“Mike helped me a lot with history classes,” Mills said of the then history honor student. “He was my buddy.”

The two remained close for years after Street began practicing law, and represented Mills on various important matters. If there was one thing Mills says he knew he could always count on beyond Street’s friendship, was his word – if Marquis Street said he was going to do something, it got done.

“And he did it when he said he was going to do it,” Mills declared. “I came to rely on him. He’s going to be missed.”
“His passing,” Rick Mills continued, “does have a big impact on me.”

The legacy of Marquis Street now looms large in Greensboro’s history, and the standard of excellence he set, not only for himself, but the many young lives that he touched through his personal and community commitments, will always remain the lasting trademark of his contributions.
Of her beloved husband, whom she vows she’ll always be married to, Sallie Melendez poignantly says, “He gave in so many ways to so many people, known, and unknown.”

Atty. Marquis Street is survived by his wife, Sallie; one older brother, two sisters, one son (from a previous marriage), one stepson, and a host of nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

For those wishing to acknowledge the generous life of Marquis Street in some way, in lieu of flowers and cards, you are encouraged to make contributions to the Hayes-Taylor Memorial YMCA; 2630 East Florida Street; Greensboro, N.C. 27401.

The Celebration of Life Service for Street will be held on Thursday, December 15 from 12 noon to 2 p.m. in the Dudley Room of the OLD Hayes-Taylor YMCA at 1101 East Market Street in Greensboro.

The holidays should be a time of joy, do not let it become a time of stress.

This time of the year is heavy in symbolism. The religions of many converge and living up to holiday traditions, gift giving and making merry can all be sources of stress.

This should be a time of the year that is enjoyed. Do not allow it to become a period of drudgery with too many events and too many people vying for your attention.

Let me suggest some simple rules to enjoy the holidays more.

Pace yourself. If at all possible, make a calendar and decide which events you will and will not attend. Yes, there may be a few events you feel obligated to attend but still, try to attend events that have meaning to you and that bring joy.

Stop worrying so much. It will all work out. Try to enjoy yourself. Many times, no one else knows, but you, whether an event was perfect or not.
Allow others to help. This takes some of the stress off you and gives your helpers joy and meaning for the event.

Watch the budget. Do not start 2017 behind the financial eight ball by making unwise choices now. To thine own self and budget be true.

Watch what you eat. We all expect to get off the diet during this time of the year but remember the word “moderation.” Do not allow yourself to gain a great deal of weight that will be difficult to lose. Your health is important. Watch what you eat.

Watch what you drink. Some use the season as an excuse to indulge in libations. Are you going to have a better time or a time you cannot remember? If alcohol consumption changes who you are, that is not a good thing.

Take the time to check in on relatives and friends who may be alone. Your phone calls or visits may be the highlights of their day.
Use your time off wisely. Get some rest.

Family is important. Let them know how important they are to you. Words and actions mean more than gifts. Heal old wounds if you can. Take the high road.

And lastly, take stock of your life. Where have you succeeded and where is there room for improvement? If you are a person who makes goals, review your short term and long term lists. Are adjustments in order? Talk to your mentors and with your mentees.
Enjoy the holidays. They only come around once a year.

Dr. Veita Bland is a board certified Greensboro physician and hypertension specialist. Dr. Bland’s radio show, “It’s a Matter of Your Health,” can be heard live on Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m. on North Carolina A&T State University’s WNAA, 90.1 FM. Listeners may call in and ask questions. The show is replayed on Sirius 142 at 5 p.m. on Wednesdays. Email Dr. Bland at ideas@blandclinicpa.com.

Page junior Jahlen King caught this 30-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Will Jones with less than 20 seconds remaining in the first half lifting Page to a 28-7 lead. Photo by Joe Daniels/Carolina Peacemaker

Page senior quarterback Will Jones threw for more than 200 yards and had five touchdown passes in the Pirates’ 49-13 victory over West Forsyth. Ronald Polite, a senior wide receiver was Jones’ main target with three touchdown receptions. Polite had more than 100 yards receiving in the first half including TD catches of 45 yards and 21 yards. A 30 yard TD with less than 20 seconds left before the half pushed Page’s lead to 28-7.

The Pirates marched 63 yards in five plays. They opened the scoring with a 45 yard TD pass to Polite from Jones. The Titans fumbled and Page capitalized using two plays and completed a 21 yard TD pass to Polite again.

Early in the second quarter Page marched 67 yards, using 11 plays with Javon Leake scoring on a one yard run lifting the Pirates to a 21-0 lead.

The victory earned the Pirates an NCHSAA 4-AA West semifinal home match-up with Charlotte Vance this Friday (Dec. 9) at Marion Kirby Stadium. Both teams will bring 13-1 records to the game.

]]>http://www.peacemakeronline.com/pirates-ransack-titans-49-13/feed/0So what are we seeing?http://www.peacemakeronline.com/so-what-are-we-seeing/
http://www.peacemakeronline.com/so-what-are-we-seeing/#respondFri, 02 Dec 2016 06:04:55 +0000http://www.peacemakeronline.com/?p=2425After having spent the last nine months surviving cancer, I’ve decided that the last thing I’m going to do is allow the incoming Trump presidential administration to do me in. After all, I’ve lived through Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush, and those five took us from ultimate government corruption to the country being bankrupt. Now we potentially have all that in the next Republican president.

C’mon, we’re Black folk, so we’re used to troubled times and folks hatin’ on us. We always knew it would be no time soon that racism would be buried once and for all, and in fact also always knew that it could get worse.

Enter President-elect Donald Trump.

The man hasn’t even taken the oath of office yet, and already we have a glimmer of an idea as to how chaotic and corrupt his four years in the White House are going to be, assuming he lasts that long. By that, I mean that Trump is likely to be impeached, because we all know how much respect for the law and the Constitution he has (can you say “NONE” boys and girls?).

Just look at the public backbiting and infighting happening within his transition team already. Look at some of his appointments – some people with absolutely no clue with how government is supposed to work, and others, like former N.Y. Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who believe war against people of color isn’t “hell,” but home.

Rudy wants to be our U.S. Secretary of State. Probably wants to carry a gun on the job too.

Trump has a billionaire who will serve as U.S. Commerce Secretary. This is like allowing a lion to run the meat locker. Can we really trust a man who will see his main job as attracting foreign business for himself and his boss?

And how about the lady Trump appointed to head up the U.S. Education Dept.? Hear she has absolutely no educational experience at all, unless you call working to actually destroy public schools as a “worthy” goal?

But the king of them all, obviously, is Donald J. Trump, the man many in the White nationalist movement have poured blessings on ever since his earth-shaking election several weeks ago. If fact, at last reports, a whole bunch of Ku Klux Klanners are scheduled to march and rally somewhere in North Carolina this Saturday to celebrate Trump’s victory.

Has he tweeted a message to these people to find something else to march and make noise about? Of course not, and we all know how much that man loves to tweet.

What’s real promising is that major media across the nation are gearing up to follow President Trump’s every move, every misstep. We can all feel how he’s gearing up to turn the federal government into a great big personal piggy bank. I’ll be amazed if he doesn’t plant a big ole’ “TRUMP” sign on the White House with plenty of casino parking.

You know, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe the kind of dishonesty and corruption that is coming is a type we’ve never seen before. Well if it is, I can honestly say that I’m ready.

I wonder if I can say the same thing for the racists who put Donald Trump in the Oval Office in the first place.

Cash Michaels is a veteran investigative journalist and editor, who resides in Raleigh, N.C.

A three-judge federal court panel ruled that North Carolina lawmakers must redraw the state’s House and Senate districts by March 15, 2017 and hold an election by next November (2017) with a Primary in late August or early September. AP Photo

On Tuesday, a three-judge federal court panel ruled that North Carolina lawmakers must redraw the state’s House and Senate districts by March 15, 2017 and hold an election by next November (2017) with a Primary in late August or early September. Tuesday’s order by the court stated, “While special elections have costs, those costs pale in comparison to the injury caused by allowing citizens to continue to be represented by legislators elected pursuant to a racial gerrymander.”

Federal court proceedings held last August determined the districts, as drawn in 2011 by the state’s Republican dominated legislature, to be racially gerrymandered. At that time, the panel ruled nine state Senate districts and 19 state House districts created in 2011 were unconstitutional.

Districts in Guilford County affected by the federal ruling are as follows: Senate Districts 28, currently represented by Gladys Robinson; House District 57, represented by Pricey Harrison; House District 58, represented by Chris Sgro (Amos Quick elected to take office in January); and House District 60, represented by Cecil Brockman. Elections will be held to fill the 28 N.C. House and Senate seats.

Republicans have promised to appeal Tuesday’s decision. Rep. David Lewis (R-Harnett) and Sen. Bob Rucho (R-Mecklenburg), chairmen of the N.C. House and Senate Redistricting Committees, released a statement calling the ruling a “politically motivated” abuse of judicial authority and “a gross overreach that blatantly disregards the constitutional guarantee for voters to duly elect their legislators to biennial terms.”

The Southern Coalition for Social Justice challenged North Carolina’s latest political maps in 2015, saying legislative district lines were drawn in 2011 in order to dilute the state’s Black vote and give Republicans an advantage.

Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause North Carolina, said, “Once again, unconstitutional gerrymandering by the legislature has led to litigation and now the need to hold a special election. This is a golden opportunity for state lawmakers to put North Carolina voters ahead of partisan politics and establish an independent process for re-drawing the state’s legislative maps free from gerrymandering.”

One week ago, another three-judge U.S. court panel ruled in a similar redistricting case that state assembly districts in Wisconsin, as redrawn by its Republican-led legislature, were unconstitutionally gerrymandered.

The U.S. Supreme Court is slated to hear a similar racial gerrymandering lawsuit involving North Carolina’s congressional districts. The high court could affirm, limit or overturn the August ruling on the legislative maps.

Aggie junior forward Davaris McGowens has his shot blocked by UNCG’s James Dickey. McGowens led the Aggies with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Photo by Joe Daniels/Carolina Peacemaker

The UNCG men’s basketball team recorded its fourth straight win and improved to 5-2 on the season as the Spartans dominated play against crosstown rival North Carolina A&T State University, 86-66, Tuesday night in the Battle of the Boro at the Greensboro Coliseum.

The Spartans led by as many as 33 points in the first half and are off to their best start at 5-2 since 2004. The victory snapped the Spartans’ four-game skid against the Aggies in series history, marking UNCG’s first win over N.C. A&T since 2002.

“Tonight feels good,” UNCG head coach Wes Miller said. “We haven’t beaten N.C. A&T in a long time and it was good to see us want the game more this time. We came out of the gates with a lot of energy and really shot the ball well in the first half.”

The Spartans’ dominating performance started from the opening tip as senior guard Diante Baldwin scored in the first seconds of the game and UNCG never looked back, opening to a 50-18 halftime lead and cruising to the victory.

The dominating performance was no more evident than in the assist totals as UNCG dished out 23 assists on 31 field goals, while the Aggies only had eight assists on 25 field goals, including just two in the first half. The Spartans also forced N.C. A&T into 17 turnovers, scoring 20 points off those miscues.

Sophomore guard Francis Alonso paced four Spartans in double figures with a season-high 21 points while also dishing out seven assists without committing a turnover. Baldwin continued his torrid start to the season with 20 points and five assists.

Senior center R.J. White added a season-high 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 23 minutes. White connected on 7-of-13 from the field and was 5-of-6 six from the charity stripe. Sophomore guard Demetrius Troy (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God) rounded out the double figure scorers with 11 points and five assists off the bench, including three 3-pointers.

North Carolina A&T finished the night shooting 41.0 percent (25-of-61) from the field and 14.3 percent (2-of-14) from distance. The Aggies struggled from the free throw line hitting just 56 percent (14-of-25). Davaris McGowens led the Aggies with 19 points and 10 rebounds while Raymon Pratt added 15 points. N.C. A&T leading scorer Sam Hunt was held to seven second half points by the Spartans.

UNCG came out of the gate quickly, opening on a 24-4 run to blitz the Aggies in the first eight minutes of the game. Baldwin was the catalyst as he took the opening tip and scored a fast break basket on his way to scoring the Spartan’s first seven points of the game in less than three minutes. After a 3-pointer form Alonso, Troy started to heat up as he nailed three straight from distance off the bench to help the Spartans build a 20-point advantage.

N.C. A&T (1-5) slowed the Spartans a little and trailed 37-18 with 4:24 remaining in the first half. The Spartans out-scored the Aggies 13-0 down the stretch to take a 50-18 lead into the locker room. The 50 points scored in the first half was a season-best for UNCG while the 18 points held was a season-low for an opponent against the Spartans.

The second half started with the Aggies slowly chipping away at the UNCG lead before pulling within 20 at 65-45 with 7:37 remaining. The Spartans ended any doubt with a 19-6 run to take an 84-51 lead with just over four minutes remaining. Baldwin started the run with a 3-pointer before junior forward Jordy Kuiper converted an old-fashioned 3-point play. Baldwin again hit from distance and converted a 3-point play of his own as the Spartans’ defense forced the Aggies into miscues with their full court pressure.

President Barack Obama meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office, Nov. 10, 2016. During this meeting, Trump appeared humbled, called President Obama a “good man” and said he would seek Obama’s advice. Photo courtesy of Pete Souza/The White House

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Leaders of the nation’s top seven civil rights organizations are not buying President-elect Donald Trump’s softened, new and improved version.

Those leaders: Marc Morial of the National Urban League; Melanie Campbell of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation; Wade Henderson of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights; Cornell William Brooks of the NAACP; Sherrilyn Ifill of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund; and Kristin Clark of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, say it will not be Trump’s tone, but his actions that will determine what they will now do to guard against and protect any roll backs on civil rights gains. The heads of the organizations said the election of Trump places at risk hard-fought gains in the area of civil rights and economic opportunity.

“We have a responsibility that we will not acquit ourselves of to vigorously oppose any policies, any actions, any appointments, any steps which are inconsistent with our very important agenda and which would serve to turn back the clock on hard-fought civil rights gains,” said Sharpton.

According to the leaders, the first sign of danger was Trump’s hiring of Stephen K. “Steve” Bannon, the publisher of Breitbart news, the voice of the so-called “alt-right” – White supremacists and racists across the nation. Their second sign was Trump’s nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) for U.S. Attorney General. Sessions once said the Ku Klux Klan was all right with him until he learned that they smoked pot. He was also denied a federal judgeship in 1986 for a “slew of racist comments, including calling the work of the NAACP and ACLU ‘Un-American’,” according to the NAACP.

“Whether one whispers or whether one shouts, if the message is the same what does it matter?” Sharpton said of Trump in response to a question during a phone conference between journalists and civil rights leaders. “I think we are mistaking his change in tone with change in content. He has said very loudly that he wants stop and frisk and that he supports the state laws that oppress voters as well as anti-immigration stances.”

Because of these issues – among other indicators that there is trouble ahead – Sharpton has announced a mass march on Jan. 14, during the Martin Luther King Holiday weekend – less than a week before the Trump inauguration, Jan. 20.

“We are not being alarmists, we are being realists about the record of the incoming president-elect and what he has said. If people are saying we’re not giving him a chance, we are willing to give him a chance. The problem is we are listening to what he has said,” Sharpton said.

Morial said the group will maintain its posture of readiness to deal with issues and adverse appointments as they come from Trump.

“We are unified today and prepared to move forward. And we do this today in the spirit of understanding that this close election certainly yielded a new president-elect,” Morial said, but that president-elect did not win a majority of the popular vote nor did he win a mandate to act against civil rights.

Brooks noted how racism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia and misogyny became routine during the campaign. “When we look at the positions Mr. Trump took as a candidate, there is nothing to suggest that he is not fully committed to those positions as president. And his appointments indicate that he is doubling down on his campaign promises.”

Ifill said much of their action will be contingent upon the actions of Trump. “The ball is in Mr. Trump’s court and our job is to develop our strategy and to deal with what is likely to come to ensure that we are not only protecting civil rights but finding ways, even in this hostile climate, to advance civil rights,” she said.

Henderson and Clark made note of attacks that are already in full force against voting rights.

Clark said voter suppression efforts “put in place in the three years preceding the 2016 presidential election” by the Shelby County vs. Holder case, “opened up the flood gates.” The results of Shelby v. Holder was the gutting of the Pre-clearance Clause of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which required certain states and territories to get approval from the Justice Department before making any changes in voting policies.
During the Nov. 8 election Clark noted that African American, Latino and others were blocked from voting at certain polls. She described depressed voter turnout and voter suppression in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Florida and North Carolina. “Voter suppression had an impact on election day,” she said.

Henderson pointed out that states covered by Section 5 “have closed at least 868 polling places” since the Shelby decision in 2013, causing long lines to ensue.

In addition to public stances against roll backs, Campbell stressed the importance for the groups to also have conversations with the general public about how and why certain coalitions supported Trump, including 52 percent of White women.

“Conversations must be had about what happened and about the issues that face us moving forward,” Campbell said.

Sharpton concluded, “In terms of his [Trump’s] movement to the right and the flavor of White nationalism, we may have lost an election, but we have not lost our minds nor have we lost our ability to mobilize…We are going to keep street heat up.”